It might seem like living in Auckland is a nightmare sometimes, what with the major traffic problems and arguably the most expensive homes in the world, but the city's come third in an international ranking for quality of life.
The Mercer ranking places New Zealand's biggest city just behind Zurich, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria; the latter came out on top of 2017's list.
But it turns out you can beat Wellington on a good day, with the capital ranking 15th on the list of 231 cities. They're the only two New Zealand cities that made the cut.
Auckland kept its ranking from 2016, but Wellington has dropped from 12th place.
European cities make up eight of the top 10 cities.
Quality of life:
- 1 Vienna, Austria
- 2 Zurich, Switzerland
- 3 Auckland, New Zealand
- 4 Munich, Germany
- 5 Vancouver, Canada
- 6 Dusseldorf, Germany
- 7 Frankfurt, Germany
- 8 Geneva, Switzerland
- 9 Copenhagen, Denmark
- 10= Basel, Switzerland / Sydney, Australia
- 15 Wellington, New Zealand
- 16= Melbourne, Australia / Toronto, Canada
The worldwide rankings are based on living conditions which take into account 10 categories including the political and social environment, schools and education, public services and transportation, recreation and the economy.
It looks at 450 cities across the world.
The majority of the data was analysed between September and November 2016.
The HR company says it produces the annual report, the latest is the 19th, to give businesses wanting to expand operations to get an idea of where to send expatriates on assignment.
"For multinationals and governments it is vital to have quality of living information that is accurate, detailed, and reliable.
"It not only enables these employers to compensate employees appropriately, but it also provides a planning benchmark and insights into the often-sensitive operational environment that surrounds their workforce," says Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer's Career business.
Newshub.
